'It looks like he's made for it' - Elliott confident Conflated will relish Gold Cup test

Gordon Elliott is confident the Gold Cup test will prove ideal for Conflated, saying this year’s Savills Chase winner “looks made for” the contest.

Elliott acknowledged the formidable task in store to topple Irish Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs but he has taken significant encouragement from the fact Fury Road was able to lay up with the Gold Cup favourite for a long way at Leopardstown on Saturday.

The Cullentra trainer had two winners at the Dublin Racing Festival, but it was one who didn't make the trip to Dublin that excited him when speaking on Tuesday morning. Elliott said: “I thought we would just go to Cheltenham fresh and well. I probably ran him in the wrong race last year. The fact Fury Road led over the last [in the Irish Gold Cup] would give me a lot of hope that Conflated could run a good race. Galopin sets the standard and he is the horse we all have to beat but I think we are in the mix.”

Galopin Des Champs remains the 13-8 favourite after his dominant display at Leopardstown, while Conflated is 12-1 to land Elliott’s second Gold Cup and emulate Don Cossck’s triumph in 2016.

Elliott added: “He has settled down a good bit in the last year. He wasn’t always straightforward but he has really settled and is more professional. You can ride a race on him now, where before you were always trying to settle him and his race was over before you could put him into it. I think it's an open Gold Cup and he has a chance. I think the extra distance will actually suit him better.”

Mighty Potter was cut to 6-4 for the Turners Novices' Chase at Cheltenham after a spectacular performance in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday to take his Grade 1 tally to four.

Mighty Potter: cut for Cheltenham following impressive Leopardstown victoryCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Elliott said: “He is relaxing more with racing. He jumped great and I love seeing him only getting into top gear going by the line as the race was over. We have had the likes of Envoi Allen, Samcro and Don Cossack as novice chasers but he could be bang there, he looks exciting. He has got so much talent, everything seems too easy for him at home.”

Elliott also has the outright favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase in Gerri Colombe, who landed the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown on Saturday and is best priced at 3-1 for the Cheltenham prize. He said: “I think the further he goes, the better he will be. He doesn’t do anything exciting at home but he knows how to win. I loved that when the horse passed him at Sandown, he then just dropped his head, and that’s a great thing to see.”

Teahupoo is the 5-2 favourite for the Stayers' Hurdle following his imperious display in the Galmoy Hurdle and Elliott harbours big hopes of bringing home another Grade 1 to Cullentra.

He said: “I’d say he just got took off his feet over two miles last year. He is not a big massive heavy horse so I don’t see why he wouldn’t be okay on good ground over three miles. For me, it is one of the most open divisions of all the championship races at Cheltenham this year. He looks like he has really found his niche over these longer trips.”

Delta Work will be hoping to land back-to-back runnings of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase after he narrowly edged out Tiger Roll last year and Elliott spoke of his delight with his third over the course and distance ten days ago. He said: “I was very happy with him. He gave the winner and the second lots of weight. Off level weights, he looks thrown in. There will hopefully be plenty of improvement in him after that run.”

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (3.30, March 17)

Sky Bet: 13-8 Galopin Des Champs, 5-1 A Plus Tard, 7 Bravemansgame, Noble Yeats, Stattler, 10 Ahoy Senor, 12 Conflated, 14 Minello Indo,16 Protektorat, 20 bar

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